Neil C. Roberts

Neil C. Roberts (16 August 1969-4 March 2002) was an American soldier who had the distinction of being the first Navy SEAL to die in combat during the Afghanistan War.

Biography
Neil C. Roberts was born in Woodland, California in 1969, and he joined the US Navy after graduation from high school. He joined the Navy SEALs in 1992, and, in March 2002, he took part in the opening phase of Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan. He was poised to exit the ramp of a Chinook helicopter on a nighttime insertion when the aircraft was hit with RPG and machine-gun fire, causing Roberts to fall from the helicopter. Roberts had a 30-minute last stand, fighting off the al-Qaeda fighters until he was shot and killed at close range, possibly following capture. He was the first SEAL to be killed during the Afghanistan War and the first one to die in combat since 1989, and Takur Ghar, where he died, was nicknamed "Roberts Ridge" in his honor.